Science Medium Term Planning – Spring 2 (year 4)

Activity / Learning objectives
Children learn: / Core vocab / Resources / Learning outcomes
Children:
1 / Circuits
Make a mind map of what children already know about electricity and circuits – whole class ideas on IWB.
Show children a CD player – How can we make the CD player work? Which would be the best way to use it in the classroom/garden?
Provide the children with wires, bulbs, buzzers, batteries (cells). Can they name these components and guess the purpose of each in a circuit?
Set children a challenge to make:
·  A circuit using a cell and one bulb so that the bulb lights up
·  A circuit using a cell so that two bulbs light up
Discuss the brightness of the bulbs in each circuit. Can children explain why the brightness of the bulbs differs?
Provide children with drawings of circuits and ask them to explain which will work and which will not.
Ask children to draw and annotate a complete circuit and indicate the purpose of each part. E.g. the battery provides the power/electricity.
Discuss the dangers of electricity – look at devices which run on batteries and those which require electricity. Point out that batteries can be used for investigation but appliances connected to the mains must not. / that a circuit needs a power source
that a complete circuit is needed for a device to work
that circuits powered by batteries can be used for investigation and experiment, appliances connected to the mains must not / Battery
Bulb
Cell
Circuit
Electricity
Lead / CD player
Cells
Wires
Bulbs
Bulb holders
Crocodile clips
Pictures of circuits / explain why devices in some circuits shown in drawings will work but devices in other circuits will not eg the switch is open so there is a break in the circuit and the bulb won't light
identify the purpose of components in a circuit
2 / Insulators and conductors
Show the children a plastic covered lead and ask them:
What is inside the plastic covering for electricity to pass through?
What is the plastic covering for?
Explain that an electrical conductor is a material that allows electricity to pass through. A material that does not allow electricity to pass through is called an insulator. (Refer back to work on materials.)
Provide children with a range of materials and ask them how we will carry out an investigation to find out which are insulators and which are conductors.
Ask them to predict which objects will allow electricity to pass through (conductor) and which will not let electricity to pass through (insulator).
Record results on 4F PM1 (Science directions teaching file).
Discuss results and identify a pattern – all metals are conductors and other materials are not. / that some materials are better conductors of electricity than others
how to find out which materials allow electricity to pass through them
to use results to draw conclusions about which materials conduct electricity
that metals are good conductors of electricity, most other materials are not and that metals are used for cables and wires, plastics are used to cover wires and as covers for plugs and switches / Circuit
Conductor
Insulator / 4F PM1
Wires
Bulbs
Bulb holders
Cells/batteries
Crocodile clips
Range of materials:
Nails
Paper clips
Coins
Lolly stick
Scissors
Corks
Fabric
Plastic bag/carton
Safety pins
Spoons
Forks / construct a circuit to test which materials let electricity pass through
explain that with some materials the bulb did not light because the circuit was not complete
make a generalisation about which materials did/did not conduct electricity eg metals let electricity pass, plastics did not, metals are good conductors of electricity and plastics are not
explain that metals are used eg for cables and wires because they are good conductors and plastics eg for plugs because they are insulators
3 / Switches
Demonstrate a range of switches on familiar devices and how they can be used to turn devices on or off. Can children think of any other appliances which use switches? What does the switch do?
Ask children:
Why is it useful to use switches in circuits?
How do switches work?
Show children a simple aluminium foil ‘fold switch’ and ask them to make one to control a circuit.
Ask children:
Why is aluminium used in this switch?
Could we use cling film instead?
Ask the children to make another switch using split pins and paper clips.
Ask:
Why is a paperclip used in this type of switch?
Could we use a match stick instead of a paper clip?
Ask children to practice making different types of circuit using bulbs, motors and buzzers.
Ask them to draw and annotate their circuits.
(See 4F PM2 – Science directions teachers file)
Discuss possible problems of the bulb not lighting/buzzer not sounding etc. / that a switch can be used to make or break a circuit to turn things on or off (using both batteries or mains) / Switch
Conductor / 4F PM2
Aluminium foil
Paper clips
Split pins
Card
Wires
Bulbs
Batteries/cells
Bulb holders
Crocodile clips
Motors / construct a circuit in which a switch turns a specific device on or off explain how their switch works
4 / Bulb Brightness and combining cells
Provide children with cells, bulbs, bulb holders, wires and crocodile clips.
Demonstrate what happens when more bulbs are added to a circuit. (bulbs should be dimmer)
Ask questions:
Why are the bulbs so dim?
How could you make them brighter?
Point out to children that bulbs and motors are designed to be used with batteries of a particular voltage and that if the voltage is exceeded the device may burn out.
E.g. a 2.5V bulb needs a 2.5V battery
Provide a few examples of when the bulb may be brighter/dimmer and burn out.
Ask children to explore what happens to the brightness of the bulb when more than one battery is used in a circuit.
Ask them to make a simple circuit and suggest how they might measure the brightness of the bulbs:
Complete experiment planning sheet:
·  Draw the circuit you are going to use.
·  What are you going to change?
·  What do you think will happen?
·  How will you measure the brightness of the bulb?
·  Table of results
·  What have you found out?
Discuss results. / to make predictions about the effect of including additional batteries in a circuit
that care needs to be taken when components in a circuit are changed to ensure bulbs/motors do not burn out
how to change the brightness of bulbs and speed of a motor in a circuit
to make suggestions about what can be investigated and predictions about what will happen
to plan to change one factor and keep others constant
to make comparisons indicating whether the results support the prediction made / Cell
Battery
Circuit
Brightness
Dim / Cells of different volts
Bulbs
Bulb holders wires crocodile clips
Planning sheet /
describe what is likely to happen eg it may be brighter but it may burn out
describe how device and battery should be matched eg if it's a 1.5 volt bulb it needs a 1.5 volt battery
suggest a way of changing the brightness of a bulb and predict what will happen eg if we use two bulbs it won't be as bright as with one; if we use two batteries the bulb will be brighter
compare circuits fairly by changing one factor at a time
make comparisons eg with two batteries the bulb is much brighter than with one but if we used three batteries the bulb might burn out; or when we used one bulb it was quite bright, with two bulbs it was dim and with three bulbs you could hardly see them and decide whether the prediction was right
5 / Making use of electricity
Set children a task in order to put their understanding of circuits into action.
Challenge:
Work in small groups to make a torch for Harold Carter. The torch must have a fully working circuit with a bulb that is effective to help him when he is working in the tombs. Harold Carter must be able to switch his torch on and off!
Provide them with a selection of cells, bulbs, bulb holders, wires and crocodile clips.
When children have completed their task, encourage them to talk about the circuit they have used and how it works.
Write an explanation as to how it works with an annotated diagram. (FOR STUDY BOOKS) / Cells of different volts
Bulbs
Bulb holders wires crocodile clips
Planning sheet
6 / Mini SAT
Assessment. / Some children will not have made so much progress and will: / construct a simple working circuit, and explain why some circuits work and others do not
Most children will: / construct simple circuits and use them to test whether materials are electrical conductors or insulators and how switches work; relate knowledge about metals and non-metals to their use in electrical appliances and systematically investigate the effect of changing components in a circuit on the brightness of bulbs
Some children will have progressed further and will also: / explain how they matched different components for a particular circuit and describe what may happen if the components are not matched